Iraq crisis: Key developments

By Chelsea J. Carter, CNN

Updated 4:59 AM ET, Fri June 27, 2014

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Turkish mourners grieve over a coffin during a funeral ceremony in Gaziantep on Tuesday, July 21, for the victims of a suspected ISIS suicide bomb attack. That bombing killed at least 31 people Monday, July 20, in Suruc, a Turkish town that borders Syria. Turkish authorities have blamed the terror group for the attack.

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Protesters turn out with anti-ISIS banners and flags to show support for victims of the Suruc suicide blast during a demonstration July 20 in Istanbul.

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People in Ashmoun, Egypt, carry the coffin for 1st Lt. Mohammed Ashraf, who was killed when the ISIS militant group attacked Egyptian military checkpoints on Wednesday, July 1. At least 17 soldiers were reportedly killed, and 30 were injured.

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Syrians wait near the Turkish border during clashes between ISIS and Kurdish armed groups in Kobani, Syria, on Thursday, June 25. The photo was taken in Sanliurfa, Turkey. ISIS militants disguised as Kurdish security forces infiltrated Kobani on Thursday and killed "many civilians," said a spokesman for the Kurds in Kobani.

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Residents examine a damaged mosque after an Iraqi Air Force bombing in the ISIS-seized city of Falluja, Iraq, on Sunday, May 31. At least six were killed and nine others wounded during the bombing.

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People search through debris after an explosion at a Shiite mosque in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, May 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, according to tweets from ISIS supporters, which included a formal statement from ISIS detailing the operation.

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Iraqi soldiers fire their weapons toward ISIS group positions in the Garma district, west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, on Sunday, April 26. Pro-government forces said they had recently made advances on areas held by Islamist jihadists.

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A member of Afghanistan's security forces stands at the site where a suicide bomber on a motorbike blew himself up in front of the Kabul Bank in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on April 18. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. The explosion killed at least 33 people and injured more than 100 others, a public health spokesman said.

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Iraqi counterterrorism forces patrol in Ramadi on April 18. Iraqi special forces maintained control of the provincial capital after days of intense clashes with ISIS left the city at risk.

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Thousands of Iraqis cross a bridge over the Euphrates River to Baghdad as they flee Ramadi on Friday, April 17.

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Yazidis embrace after being released by ISIS south of Kirkuk, Iraq, on Wednesday, April 8. ISIS released more than 200 Yazidis, a minority group whose members were killed, captured and displaced when the Islamist terror organization overtook their towns in northern Iraq last summer, officials said.

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Kurdish Peshmerga forces help Yazidis as they arrive at a medical center in Altun Kupri, Iraq, on April 8.

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A Yazidi woman mourns for the death of her husband and children by ISIS after being released south of Kirkuk on April 8.

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People in Tikrit inspect what used to be a palace of former President Saddam Hussein on April 3.

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On April 1, Shiite militiamen celebrate the retaking of Tikrit, which had been under ISIS control since June. The push into Tikrit came days after U.S.-led airstrikes targeted ISIS bases around the city.

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Iraqi security forces launch a rocket against ISIS positions in Tikrit on Monday, March 30.

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The parents of 19-year-old Mohammed Musallam react at the family's home in the East Jerusalem Jewish settlement of Neve Yaakov on Tuesday, March 10. ISIS released a video purportedly showing a young boy executing Musallam, an Israeli citizen of Palestinian descent who ISIS claimed infiltrated the group in Syria to spy for the Jewish state. Musallam's family told CNN that he had no ties with the Mossad, Israel's spy agency, and had, in fact, been recruited by ISIS.

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Iraqi Shiite fighters cover their ears as a rocket is launched during a clash with ISIS militants in the town of Al-Alam, Iraq, on Monday, March 9.

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Displaced Assyrian women who fled their homes due to ISIS attacks pray at a church on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, on Sunday, March 1. ISIS militants recently abducted at least 220 Assyrians in Syria.

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Safi al-Kasasbeh, right, receives condolences from tribal leaders at his home village near Karak, Jordan, on Wednesday, February 4. Al-Kasasbeh's son, Jordanian pilot Moath al-Kasasbeh, was burned alive in a video that was recently released by ISIS militants. Jordan is one of a handful of Middle Eastern nations taking part in the U.S.-led military coalition against ISIS.

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A Kurdish marksman looks over a destroyed area of Kobani on Friday, January 30, after the city had been liberated from the ISIS militant group. The Syrian city, also known as Ayn al-Arab, had been under assault by ISIS since mid-September.

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Kurdish people celebrate in Suruc, Turkey, near the Turkish-Syrian border, after ISIS militants were expelled from Kobani on Tuesday, January 27.

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Collapsed buildings are seen in Kobani on January 27 after Kurdish forces took control of the town from ISIS.

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Junko Ishido, mother of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, reacts during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday, January 23. ISIS would later kill Goto and another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa.

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ISIS militants are seen through a rifle's scope during clashes with Peshmerga fighters in Mosul, Iraq, on Wednesday, January 21.

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An elderly Yazidi man arrives in Kirkuk after being released by ISIS on Saturday, January 17. The militant group released about 200 Yazidis who were held captive for five months in Iraq. Almost all of the freed prisoners were in poor health and bore signs of abuse and neglect, Kurdish officials said.

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Smoke billows behind an ISIS sign during an Iraqi military operation to regain control of the town of Sadiyah, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, on Tuesday, November 25.

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Fighters from the Free Syrian Army and the Kurdish People's Protection Units join forces to fight ISIS in Kobani on Wednesday, November 19.

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A picture taken from Turkey shows smoke rising after ISIS militants fired mortar shells toward an area controlled by Syrian Kurdish fighters near Kobani on Monday, November 3.

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Iraqi special forces search a house in Jurf al-Sakhar, Iraq, on Thursday, October 30, after retaking the area from ISIS.

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ISIS militants stand near the site of an airstrike near the Turkey-Syria border on Thursday, October 23. The United States and several Arab nations have been bombing ISIS targets in Syria to take out the militant group's ability to command, train and resupply its fighters.

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Kurdish fighters walk to positions as they combat ISIS forces in Kobani on Sunday, October 19.

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Heavy smoke rises in Kobani following an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition on October 18.

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Cundi Minaz, a female Kurdish fighter, is buried in a cemetery in the southeastern Turkish town of Suruc on Tuesday, October 14. Minaz was reportedly killed during clashes with ISIS militants in nearby Kobani.

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Kiymet Ergun, a Syrian Kurd, celebrates in Mursitpinar, Turkey, after an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition in Kobani on Monday, October 13.

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Alleged ISIS militants stand next to an ISIS flag atop a hill in Kobani on Monday, October 6.

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A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier who was wounded in a battle with ISIS is wheeled to the Zakho Emergency Hospital in Duhuk, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 30.

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Syrian Kurds wait near a border crossing in Suruc as they wait to return to their homes in Kobani on Sunday, September 28.

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A elderly man is carried after crossing the Syria-Turkey border near Suruc on Saturday, September 20.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire at ISIS militant positions from their position on the top of Mount Zardak, east of Mosul, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 9.

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Displaced Iraqis receive clothes from a charity at a refugee camp near Feeshkhabour, Iraq, on Tuesday, August 19.

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Aziza Hamid, a 15-year-old Iraqi girl, cries for her father while she and some other Yazidi people are flown to safety Monday, August 11, after a dramatic rescue operation at Iraq's Mount Sinjar. A CNN crew was on the flight, which took diapers, milk, water and food to the site where as many as 70,000 people were trapped by ISIS. But only a few of them were able to fly back on the helicopter with the Iraqi Air Force and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

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Thousands of Yazidis are escorted to safety by Kurdish Peshmerga forces and a People's Protection Unit in Mosul on Saturday, August 9.

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Thousands of Yazidi and Christian people flee Mosul on Wednesday, August 6, after the latest wave of ISIS advances.

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A Baiji oil refinery burns after an alleged ISIS attack in northern Selahaddin, Iraq, on Thursday, July 31.

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A Syrian rebel fighter lies on a stretcher at a makeshift hospital in Douma, Syria, on Wednesday, July 9. He was reportedly injured while fighting ISIS militants.

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Children stand next to a burnt vehicle during clashes between Iraqi security forces and ISIS militants in Mosul on Tuesday, June 10.

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Iraqi lawmakers worked Thursday to organize the process for forming a new government -- with encouragement from the United States and Britain -- while a military spokesman said security forces defended the Baiji oil refinery and the University of Tikrit. Also Thursday, a bomb killed 19 people in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad.

Here are the latest developments:

Fight for Haditha Dam

A large number of ISIS fighters and allied militants attacked Haditha in Anbar province on Thursday from two directions, but Iraqi forces backed by Sunni tribesmen repelled the attack, Haditha's police chief said.

The Haditha Dam, which has been described as an ISIS target, is being held by the 7th Division of the Iraqi forces as well as SWAT and helicopters, the police chief said.

Tanks and armored vehicles have also been positioned around the dam, he said.

If something happens to the dam and the floodgates are opened, it could be devastating to the area, the police chief said.

Iraq's Ministry of Interior said on its website that Iraqi forces killed 20 ISIS fighters in Haditha. It did not provide any evidence to support the claim.

The explosion occurred after 6 p.m. local time near the Imam Musa al-Kadhim shrine in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood.

There were conflicting reports as to whether the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber or car bomb.

Diplomats: U.S. airstrikes unlikely before new government

The Obama administration is unlikely to undertake any military strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, in Iraq before a new government is formed, senior U.S. officials and Arab diplomats told CNN.

The administration is careful not to publicly, or even privately, demand that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki step down, insisting that Iraqis themselves must determine who will be in the government.

But senior U.S. officials and Arab diplomats say they see al-Maliki's ouster as a foregone conclusion, as his inability to gain enough votes will eventually prompt his Shiite-led party to put forth another candidate whom the country's Sunni and Kurds will accept.

Zebari: 'Nobody has control over border points'

Iraq's foreign minister told CNN's Hala Gorani that "nobody has control over the border points."

Asked whether he was comfortable with Syria taking unilateral action and bombing targets inside Iraq with or without warning, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said: "Well, not comfortable of discomfortable, really, this is the reality. Nobody has control over the border points."

He said the Iraqi side "is trying very hard to reassert its control, but the Syrians have also found an opportunity to reassert they are still there, they still (have) air power to bomb these insurgents and these terrorists.

Atta: Seesaw battle for Baiji refinery over

Iraq's military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, released video during a televised news conference that he said showed government forces defending the Baiji oil refinery, a crucial resource that provides much of the fuel in the region needed for domestic consumption.

"The Baiji refinery is under complete control of government forces," Atta said.

For days there have been contradicting claims about just who is in control of the refinery.

Atta: ISIS commander killed

The Iraqi military spokesman said security forces killed ISIS commander Abu Anas al-Shami and seven of his aids in the al-Qaim region. Atta did not detail who al-Shami was or how he was killed.

Hague in Iraq

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, on a visit to Baghdad on Thursday, called for the swift formation of an inclusive government, saying Iraqi political leaders must put sectarian division aside.

"The Iraqi state is facing an existential threat, with huge ramifications for the future stability and freedom of this country," he said. "The single most important factor that will determine whether or not Iraq overcomes this challenge is political unity."

Hague said this would be the focus of his discussions with al-Maliki and Kurdish regional leader Masoud Barzani.

Hague said the UK can provide diplomatic support, counterterrorism cooperation, and humanitarian support.

"It is also clear to us that we will need new and intensified international efforts and mechanisms to stem the flow of arms and fighters to extremist groups, to cut off their finances and prevent them from exploiting the economic assets they have seized," Hague said.

Al-Maliki: Syrian airstrikes welcome

Al-Maliki said in an interview with British broadcaster BBC that Syrian forces targeted positions on the Syrian side of the border of the al-Qaim crossing only and without coordination with Baghdad, Prime Minister's office spokesman, Ali Al-Mawlawi, told CNN Thursday.

"There was no coordination involved. But we welcome this action. We actually welcome any Syrian strike against ISIS," al-Maliki told the BBC. "... But we didn't make any request to Syria. They carry out their strikes and we carry out ours, and the final winners are our two countries."

But local officials claim at least 57 Iraqi civilians were killed and more than 120 others were wounded by what local officials say were Syrian warplanes that struck several border areas of Anbar province Tuesday.

The airstrikes hit markets and gas stations in Iraqi border areas such as Rutba, al-Walid and al-Qaim, Sabah Karkhout, the head of the provincial council, said Wednesday.

These border cities are among those under the control of ISIS.

Assault at University of Tikrit

State-run Iraqiya reported Thursday that Iraqi special forces were airdropped Thursday over the University of Tikrit, which has been under the control of fighters linked with ISIS since the second week of June.

The battle at the university between Iraqi forces and ISIS fighters left 40 militants dead and 10 under arrest, according to Iraqiya, which offered no evidence of the claims.

It also reported the Iraqi air force carried out a strike on a presidential palace complex in Tikrit, killing 70 fighters.

Again, the state-run news channel offered no evidence to support the claim.

ISIS fighters took Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, with days of seizing control of Mosul.

Tikrit is a Sunni city that sits about 150 kilometers (95 miles) north of Baghdad.

Suicide blast north of Mosul

At least one Kurdish security officer was killed and 15 other people were wounded when a suicide car bomb struck a checkpoint manned by Kurdish forces in Korchali, northeast of Mosul, Thursday, according to Kurdish security forces in Irbil.

The checkpoint is considered the last checkpoint of Kurdish security forces before Mosul. Just a few hundred meters away is a checkpoint manned by ISIS militants.

Air raids across Iraq

State-run Iraqiya is reporting that the Iraqi air force has carried out a 108 air raids across the county, killing 189 ISIS fighters. Of those, 48 were killed in Salaheddin province, it reported.

It claimed eight ISIS leaders have been killed. It offered no evidence to support the claims, and CNN cannot independently confirm them.

Iraq's parliament set to convene

Iraq's Presidency issued a directive calling for Parliament to convene on July 1, Iraqi State TV reported on Thursday.

In a televised speech Wednesday, al-Maliki vowed to stick to the timeline to create a new government.